Armenian parliamentary factions do not mind discussing issue of possible deployment of peacekeepers in Artsakh

The Armenian parliamentary factions do not mind discussing the issue of possible deployment of peacekeepers on the line of contact of the Artsakh and Azerbaijani armed forces, representatives of the Armenian parliamentary forces said at a briefing in Parliament on April 8.     

In particular, Head of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Faction Vahram Baghdasaryan said that Armenia has never requested deployment of peacekeepers in Artsakh, however, it does not object to it either. "If it becomes the only solution to the conflict, we won't object to it," he said. For now the only forces Armenian people can rely on are the armed forces of Armenia and Artsakh.  

Head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Faction Armen Rustamyan said for his part that the Armenian side can defend itself and there is no need for peacekeeping forces. At the same time, he thinks that the issue of peacekeepers in Artsakh should be considered in the single package of settlement. If it is an integral part of this package, ARFD will not object to it either, he said. 

Head of the Armenian National Congress Faction Levon Zurabyan said that the issue of peacekeepers was more topical in 1994-97, when the international community insisted on it. "We are unaware of the details of negotiations but deployment of the peacekeepers will be necessary after the complete settlement of the conflict because Armenian and Azerbaijani troops will step back and the "empty" buffer zone may become dangerous even for us," he said. Head of the Prosperous Armenia Party Naira Zohrabyan and Secretary of the Orinats Yerkir Faction Mher Shahgeldyan share Zurabyan's opinion. 

To note, all the parliamentary forces do not mind discussing the issue of deployment of peacekeepers following the complete resolution of the conflict but all the factions are against Turkish peacekeepers because, they say, Turkey is biased and it defends the Azeri stand.  

To recall, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with DW that Armenia has never come out against deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the Karabakh conflict zone, but believes that the conflict must be resolved comprehensively and finally. "Quite the contrary, we have expressed readiness to sign a document that would provide for a comprehensive settlement of the conflict and presence of peacekeepers between the sides. However, Azerbaijan did not agree with it," the president said.